SI SCORING STUDIO

  • RHYTHM KITCHEN: A MUSICAL COOKING GAME

    An interactive music game in development by Si Scoring Studio, transforming everyday cooking gestures into structured musical composition.

CONCEPT AND RESEARCH BACKGROUND

The project grows out of our studio’s long term exploration of gesture based sound production and everyday rhythm patterns. Cutting, stirring, pouring and heating all contain tempo, density, accent and dynamic changes. Rather than asking players to follow a fixed soundtrack, Rhythm Kitchen allows the music to follow the player. The game is designed as a research driven system that connects cooking behaviour to modular music making.

Concept and Inspiration

The concept grew from our long-term exploration of music interaction and the connection between everyday gestures and sound. The initial inspiration came from gesture based music platforms and modular music creation environments. We began thinking about how the kitchen itself could function as an instrument. The environment becomes the interface. Cooking becomes performative sound design.

Rhythm Kitchen is designed as a flat 2D game with a clean layout. The kitchen surface, tools, and food components are presented as functional modules that form a musical system.

Core System Model

Kitchen = Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

Kitchen ZonePlayer ActionMusical FunctionDAW Equivalent
Ingredient ZoneSelect materialsChoose sound layer roleAdd Track (Bass / Harmony / Perc.)
Preparation ZoneCutting / Chopping / RepetitionGenerate rhythmic patternMIDI Sequence / Grid Density
Stove & Heat ZoneStir / Toss / Reduce / SimmerControl dynamics & progressionAutomation (Filter / Drive / Envelope)

Professional Music Structure Reference

A track in Rhythm Kitchen always contains the following layer architecture

LayerRole in MusicHow Player Creates It
Rhythm LayerTime grid & movementCutting tempo & repetition
Bass LayerFoundation and weightSelecting main solid food ingredient
Texture / Harmony LayerSpace and atmospherePreparation mixing / seasoning
Melody / Motif LayerIdentity & emotional centerAdding sauce (finalizing flavor)

Level Example — Mapo Tofu

Step-to-Music Mapping Table

Cooking StepIn-Game GestureMusic ResultParameter Affected
Take tofuSelect Ingredient ModuleActivates Bass LayerLayer On / Timbre Select
Cutting tofuRepetitive knife motionGenerates Rhythm PatternNote Density / Swing Amount
Heat oilRaise temperature graduallyIntroduces Energy CurveFilter Drive / Attack Shape
Stir-fry tofuContinuous circular movementForms Groove MotionLFO Rate / Modulation Depth
Add sauceFinal decisive pourGenerates Melody / HookMotif Trigger / Phrase Length
Simmer to finishReduce motion & waitMusic Release & OutroReverb Decay / Volume Envelope

Visual & Interaction Design Direction

  • Style: Minimal 2D modular UI
  • Color: Light neutrals + one accent tone
  • Icons: Rounded rectangle components (MIDI pad logic)
  • Movement: Continuous curve motion → sound modulation

Development Progress

Rhythm Kitchen is currently in the concept and system-design stage. We are developing several core components in parallel, including interface layout sketches, ingredient and tool icon sets, the initial gesture-trigger library, layer and signal-flow planning, and early interaction tests. These elements form the foundation of the game’s modular cooking-and-composition system.

Our next steps include building a playable prototype, completing the core sound module set, expanding recipes and level structures, and conducting small-scale user tests. The project is planned as a steadily progressing system, with new dishes and levels introduced as variations of the cooking-synthesis model.